


The glue that holds everyone together

by tsukkisbb



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Keiji-centric, Akaashi didn't believe Kei was okay, Akiteru was no help, Being sick is no fun, Bokuto and Kuroo are quiet for once, Couch Cuddles, Crying Tsukishima, Day Off, He tried to act strong, Headaches & Migraines, M/M, Protective Akaashi Keiji, Sick Tsukishima Kei, Sickfic, Sleep Tsukishima, Sleepy Cuddles, Tsukishima Kei is a Mess, Tsukishima Kei-centric, idk what else to put, throwing up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:14:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27924352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tsukkisbb/pseuds/tsukkisbb
Summary: Tsukishima Kei was the glue in his relationship with his high school lovers.Taking over the responsibilities when the others are down for the count.What happens when he suddenly falls sick from a migraine? The glue would seem to fall apart, things wouldn't just fall apart, would they?Having to keep up the act is though, especially when every little sound makes you want to cry. Having the ability of someone to hold you and comfort you would feel amazing if you didn't feel bad about it.orTsukishima Kei has a migraine and wants to be alone. Akaashi Keiji was not going to let that happen.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 15
Kudos: 387





	The glue that holds everyone together

_The glue that holds everyone together._

Having a migraine was always common for Tsukishima Kei. When he was growing up, he would often spend the whole day just laying in bed, sleeping, hoping to not be disturbed by his brother, Akiteru, or his mother. That task wasn’t easy, as his mom was always trying to be helpful in any way possible. He loved both their efforts, but he only wanted the lights to be off and the house to be silent.

The only problem was, today, he had a migraine. In front of his boyfriends, _for the first time._

Kei never told his boyfriends about his migraine problems, as they dispersed as he got a little older. But as the tale always says, when something goes away for a long period of time, the next one comes back even stronger. He can vouch for himself, as it was much stronger.

It was early when the blonde woke up, obviously being greeted with some pressure building behind his eyes. He slowly opened his eyes, being even blurrier than normal. He looked over, trying to focus as much as he could. Kuroo had his arms wrapped around him, Akaashi had a hand laid on his chest, and Bokuto was spooning Akaashi, having his forearm across Kei’s waist, his hand connected with Kuroo’s.

The room was hot because they forgot to turn on the fan last night, which only made him feel even more disgusting than he already did. He groaned a little as he shifted, his headache only getting worse. He gently placed Akaashi’s arm off of him, unwrapped Kuroo from him, which caused a small whine in return. He gently crawled out of the bed, not wanting to wake anyone up. He stumbled out of bed, almost falling a couple of times, due to the uneven pressure in his head.

He groaned as he stumbled down the hallway into the bathroom. When he looked at the clock on the wall, it read 7:42. All the boys except Kei had to work today, so that was good. He could lay on the couch and sleep it off, then be fine by the time the guys got back.

He decided that he was going to go ahead and shower before the pain got any worse to where he could barely stand. He turned on the water and closed the door, not wanting to wake the sleeping bunch up yet. Steam quickly filled the room as Kei stepped into the shower, sighing gently as some pressure in his head went away. His eyes closed at the feeling of hot water running on his face and his body.

Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door and his head jerked up, letting out a groan as all the pain came rushing back. He looked around and noticed that the water had turned a little cold. “Kei?” he heard a voice. “Come in,” he said, voice straining. The voice that was behind the door was gentle and deep, meaning that it must be Akaashi. “I’ve been knocking for 5 minutes, are you alright?” Keiji asked, gently pulling the curtain back. He noticed the pained look on Kei’s face, scanning his body and seeing how his back is hunched and he looks like he’s about to fall over from exhaustion. “Are you okay?” Kei could only nod slowly, as his face scrunched up more as even the tiniest movement of nodding was starting to get too much. He turned off the water as he grabbed his towel, gently stepping out. While doing so, it seemed as if his body had already had enough as he fell on Akaashi. “Woah, woah, calm down,” Keiji said softly as he set Kei on the toilet beside him.

That sudden movement of falling, then sitting back up quickly, then getting pushed to sit down really made his head spin. His eyes seemed to close automatically as he buried his face in his hands, trying to recover. “I’m worried, Kei,” Keiji whispered next to him, rubbing his hands through his wet hair. “Don’t be, I’m okay” He said, as he rubbed his eyes once again before looking up and kissing Akaashi softly. “You need to get ready for work,” he whispers, as he stands up slowly, trying to not get dizzy again. He needed to change the subject. Away from him, onto Keiji.

“And you need to go back to bed. You’re exhausted, I know you are. You’ve been working too much recently, and here you are, falling asleep in the shower,” he scolded, getting a towel and started drying Kei’s hair. Kei’s eyes seemed to close with this feeling, humming in appreciation, but also wanting to cry. Every touch near his head made him feel like his head was going to explode. “Go get ready, I need to get dressed,” Kei whispered as he opened his eyes and looked back at Keiji. He looked not convinced at his words but decided to go anyway. Once the door closed, he sat on the counter, sighing softly.

_Today was going to be rough._

He finally grew enough strength to throw on the hoodie and sweatpants he grabbed off the floor earlier. Slowly opening the door and walking towards the kitchen, he was met with Keiji making breakfast, Koutarou sitting on a stool waiting, and Tetsuro was sleeping on the counter. Making his way towards another stool to sit down, his hand was caught by Koutarou, bending him down to place a kiss on his cheek. “Good morning babe,” Koutarou said. His words were soft, trying to avoid waking Tetsuro up until breakfast was ready, but it sounded so loud to Kei. He flinched slightly at this, catching a suspicious glare from Keiji. “Good morning,” he said, pulling his hand away and pulling out the stool to sit down. “Thank you for making breakfast, Keiji,” he said as he smiled.

_It was too fake._

Keiji nodded as he served the food, tapping on Tetsurou's head to make him sit up and eat. “Oh, good morning, Kei,” Tetsurou mumbled, rubbing his eyes, smiling at the food.

The boys thankfully ate in silence, the only thing being heard was the forks being scraped against the plates. Kei was feeling too sick to even touch his food. All he could do was shove it around on his plate, every so often he would place a small thing of eggs on his fork and eat it. By the time everyone else was done, Kei had only made it through a small section of his place. Moving his head to eat, moving his jaw, it only made the pain worse, making tears well in his eyes.

_It’s like his body was consumed by pain._

By the time Kei had zoned back in, Tetsurou and Koutarou were standing beside him, wanting to kiss him goodbye, and Keiji was placing all the plates in the sink, still being cautious of Kei. He pushed himself up, stumbling just a bit, being caught in Koutarou’s arms. “I’ll see you later beautiful,” Koutarou said as he let go and walked out the door, Tetsurou saying the same.

Keiji walked up to him, wrapping his hands around his waist and pulling him close. “What’s wrong, baby,” he whispered, running a hand up to his back. He so wanted to let go of his act and just relax into Keiji’s arms, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want him to worry. He had to work. “Nothing, don’t worry,” he said, his voice low. Keiji nodded as he slowly pulled away. “I don’t believe it for a minute, so please, go lay down and rest. Don't worry about anything, okay?” Kei only nodded slowly as he placed a kiss on his forehead. “Have a good day,” Kei said and Keiji nodded, walking out the door. Kei let out a sigh in relief as he heard the door closed. He went into the bedroom and collapsed on the bed, his eyes closing.

_Peace and quiet._

_But no sleep to come._

Once his head hit the pillow, it seemed as if he hit it too hard. A great pain filled his entire head and shot down through his neck, causing him to let out a whine in pain. Even with the lights off and the curtains closed, it still seems as if too much light was still seeping in slowly behind his eyelids. He felt like crying at this point. He really just wanted someone there to hold him.

_Being in Akaashi’s arms felt so good to him, if only it had lasted a little bit longer. If the lights were off and he was laying on his chest, it would have been so much better. Maybe it would go away a whole lot quicker._

Tsukishima Kei was never one to get sick in his relationship. Not once have the boys ever seen him down for the count. He hasn’t had the flu, a head cold, hell, he never even had a sniffle around them. His thinking, he guesses, is that he has to keep the strong act up. He has to be the glue to take care of everyone when they’re down. He doesn’t do it for self-pity, it just seems like the right thing to do.

Bokuto is the one who always manages to put everyone in a good mood when they are feeling down. Just entering the room brought a smile to one’s face, as he knew just the right things to say to make you laugh. He will always be there to give you the biggest and best hugs you could think of. He will always make sure that you know that you are held tightly in his heart and that you are loved.

Akaashi was the mental health supporter in the relationship. He knew how to get inside your head and figure out what’s wrong. Just the way he looks at you will make you spill in just a second. If the look doesn’t work, then it’s the soft touches he brings as he glides his hands across your back and through your hair, talking so softly to you. He’s always ready when you need him, and will make sure that if you are having a tough time, you get off from work and focus on yourself.

While Akaashi focuses on the mental part, Kuroo focuses on the physical. He has a sense of when your body is tired and knows precisely what you need. He knows the right places to give massages when you’re too stressed out and have knots underneath your skin. It’s like he can see the fatigue radiating off your body. He tries his hardest to make sure that you are comfortable in any way possible, like running baths if needed, heating up your clothes so they’re nice and warm in the shower, or just doing one of your daily chores that he thought would be difficult for that day.

Tsukishima was the glue of it all, which was when everyone gets sick and loses their so-called “special ability.” When Bokuto ends up sick, Tsukishima is the one who always has to be prepared for the hugs everyone wants, even though he could never be as good as Bokuto. He also has to make sure that Bokuto is taken care of, and loved more than he already is. When Akaashi falls sick, Tsukishima has to make sure that everyone’s mental health is holding stable. Always asking to talk about their day, spilling out the bad parts especially, and making sure that there is nothing bad left inside their head. Kuroo is probably the toughest for taking care of everyone. Kei was never good at the physical structure with someone, as he himself couldn’t even figure out what he needed on some days, such as the migraines. He could do it though, most of the time it was just running someone a bath and giving them a massage, feeling where the knots hurt the most.

_He couldn’t let himself fall. If someone fell because he wasn’t there, he would feel terrible._

Those were the thoughts running through his head. The ones that are stopping him from resting, from trying to get this horrible headache to go away. It’s the ones that make him feel even worse than he already does.

After what seemed like hours of just laying there in pain, he couldn’t do it anymore. He slowly sat up, rubbing his eyes slowly. More pressure started to build and his eyes became heavier, but still, sleep was not coming for the blonde. He wrapped a blanket around his body and slowly made his way onto the couch. He plopped on the couch, wincing in pain as he sat down just a little bit too hard, and then slowly laid down. Surprisingly, this was more comfortable than the bed. Sure, the light was seeping in, and it made things so much worse for inside his head, but he felt more tired. He turned the tv on, quickly turning the volume all the way down, and stared blankly.

His body was finally relaxing with the warm blanket surrounding his body and the top of his head. _Sure, he was still a bit nauseous, but he would be fine._ His eyes were heavy and just wanted to be closed. He let them, then slowly opened them again. The more times he did this, the longer his eyes would stay closed. 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, next thing he knew, he didn’t wake up for a while.

_When he did wake up again, it was his body moving on its own, as he ran into the bathroom, throwing up the food from this morning. His throat hurt as he continued heaving into the toilet, nothing coming out of him anymore. Was the pain that much? Now that he thought about it, it was getting worse than what it was before. He had been sleeping through, so why hasn’t it lessened?_

He leaned himself back onto the shower wall and wiped his mouth, coughing sometimes as the nauseous feeling was still there. He felt horrible, and it was catching up to him, slowly but surely. When he tried standing up again, he noticed that his legs were weaker, his body was more tired, and his head, dear god his head, was full-on throbbing at this point. He got himself enough strength to make it to the kitchen, finding painkillers, taking as much as he should, before going and laying back down on the couch. He didn’t even have time to think about how bad he felt before his eyes shut once again.

_New notification - Messages_

_15:28: Akaashi_ \- Hey babe, I’m coming home since I got off early

 _15:30: Akaashi_ \- I hope you are okay, you seemed a little off

 _15:45: Akaashi_ \- I’m coming home fast since you’re not responding.

 _15:46: Akaashi_ \- I love you

When Akaashi walked through the door, he saw what he was expecting, kind of, but not really. His boyfriend was on the couch, wrapped in blankets, and passed out ( _hanging off the couch oh so slightly._ ) He smiled as he gently took off his shoes and set his bag down, walking over to the couch. He looked down and saw that his eyes were twitching and he had a pained look on his face. He noticed that the tv was on, but turned all the way down. He walked around the couch and crouched down beside him, running his hands softly through his hair.

“Baby,” Akaasi whispered, causing his face to scrunch slightly. He placed his hand on his chest and started rubbing circles. “Kaashi,” Kei mumbled, “hurts,” he sighed out. Akaashi quickly took note of how he sounded. His voice was strained and cracked slightly, and he was whining a bit more than usual. “What hurts, my love?” he whispered, stopping the circles. Kei’s eyes slightly opened but quickly shut once again once he saw the light that was seeping into the room. Noticing this, Akaashi quickly untangled his hand from his hair and went to close the curtains, and turned off the tv. He gently walked over to Kei once again, this time lifting him to lay on his lap now.

“Can you open your eyes for me, baby,?” Akaashi softly said, bringing his hands towards his head and softly running his fingers through his hair. Kei’s eyes fluttered open softly, they were bloodshot and looked overall just in pain, which caused Akaashi to feel a slight pain in his heart, as his baby was hurting. “What hurts?” Kei’s eyes closed once again, but his mouth started to open. “My head, migraine.” His words were choked out and made Akaashi's heart burst. Akaashi stayed quiet, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he held Kei on his lap. “Have you taken painkillers?” he whispered as he went to his messaging app. Kei nodded slightly. “Been asleep for a while, don’t know how long though.” Akaashi nodded as he smiled. “Sleep some more, my love, you need it.” Kei hummed ever so slightly, before his body relaxed further onto Akaashi’s lap, falling back to sleep.

_Messages_

_Lover Boys:_

_16:02: Akaashi_ \- Tsukishima is sick.

 _16:02: Kuroo_ \- He’s what?

 _16:02: Akaashi_ \- Sick.

 _16:04: Bokuto_ \- Baby Tsukki is sick? He’s never sick. Are you sure? Like 100% positive.

 _16:05: Akaashi_ \- I’m pretty positive. I came home and no lights were on and he was passed out on the couch. I tried to wake him up but he said he had a migraine and then fell back asleep almost immediately. I’m also pretty sure I can smell throw up in the bathroom, but I can’t get up. He’s asleep on my lap.

 _16:06: Bokuto_ \- No fair :( I want Tsukki asleep on my lap

 _16:07: Kuroo_ \- That’s not the case right now. What do we do? I’m almost 100% sure Tsukishima has never been sick around us.

 _16:08: Akaashi_ \- I don’t know. He said he took painkillers but I don’t know what to do anymore.

 _16:09: Kuroo_ \- Why don’t you call Akiteru? He might know what to do?

Akaashi then left the group message on read as he called Akiteru. The phone answered quickly. “Hello?” Akaashi knew he had to be quiet, but loud enough to get his message across. “Tsukishima is sick,” he whispered, looking down at the sleeping boy on his lap, making sure that there were no flinches or signs of pain. He was in the clear. “How sick? Headache sick or flu sick?” He ran his hands through his hair once again. “Headache. Migraine.” You could hear the sigh Akiteru let out over the phone. “They’re back again..”

“Again?”

“He used to get them when he was little and in school, but they lessened as he got older. What you need to do is just let him sleep for as long as possible. If you wake him up, please be gentle with him, as the slightest of noises will make him cry.”

_Cry… an unfamiliar word from Tsukishima Kei. Sick… another unfamiliar word._

How would they deal with this? Their youngest, their glue, their baby, is laying in the arms of one of his lovers, head aching so severely, and they haven’t a clue about what to do about it. “Did you have to deal with him when he was young and sick, Akiteru?” One could hear a slight chuckle come from the other end of the phone. “It felt like he was constantly sick in all honesty. Except, when he had his migraines, he wouldn’t let anyone in. Not in his thoughts, his head, or his room. He wanted quiet and darkness, no disturbances allowed, so we let him.”

Akaashi’s head tilted in confusion at his words. “Thanks, I have to go, I’ll take care of Kei.” Akiteru hummed and he hung up the phone.

_Tsukishima Kei was becoming a softy for Akaashi Keiji._

Akaashi sent a quick message to the group chat saying that they better not make a peep when they walk through that door. They quickly agreed, as no one wanted to face the wrath of Akaashi Keiji, especially when it came down to his biggest baby, Tsukishima Kei.

Keiji stayed there and watched as the time ticked by, his phone battery slowly draining and he scrolled through Twitter and Facebook, not wanting to bring up TikTok due to the noises it made. He watched as Tsukishima would sometimes let out slow little whines, he guessed from pain, and then fall back into his sleep. He would watch as he turned his body to bury further into Keiji’s lap, raising his arm to subconsciously grab the hand that was running through his hair, only wanting to grasp for a second before plopping it back down. He watched as Kei’s breath fell up and down evenly, making Keiji smile ever so slightly.

_Boy, he loved him._

An hour or so had passed since Tsukishima’s last tiny awakening before he turned his body to lay flat on his back. His eyes fluttered open as they also scrunched up. It was still bright. “Keiji?” Tsukishima whispered, his voice rougher than before. Keiji smiled as he spoke, his voice almost silent, “Hello my love, are you feeling better?” Kei nodded as he slowly tried raising his body to sit, but he immediately fell back to rest on the couch. _Sitting up was tiring._ “On a scale of 1-10, how bad does your head hurt?” Tsukishima was staring off into space, his head was probably still hurting, he was probably exhausted, he’s still waking up. His lips are put in a small pout and as Keiji lifted his gaze from his lips to his eyes, he saw the tears that were forming inside of them.

_Was he too loud? Did he say something wrong?_

“Ei- eight,” Kei whispered, blinking his eyes as the tears fell from his eyes and onto his cheeks. At that moment, Keiji felt his heartbreak. He had never seen Tsukishima cry, especially when it came to just pain. He pouted at this before gently pulling him on his chest, rubbing his back as Tsukishima let out little cries.

_Does he really hurt this bad? Should we get it checked out? Akiteru was right, the littlest things will make him cry at this point._

The cries had softened a lot as Keiji guessed Tsukishima had fallen back asleep, as his soft breaths would be the only sound he heard. Keiji smiled as he looked slowly down at the sleeping figure below him, again watching as his breathing fell up and down in a rhythm, making his body relaxed too. His arms were wrapped securely around the younger, making sure that he was warm and safe, making it sure that he knew he could drop the act. He didn’t always have to be the glue of it all. Before Akaashi could catch himself, his eyes had closed and he had fallen asleep too, protecting the younger from any sounds that could possibly tear him from his deep sleep. When Akaashi’s eyes opened next, he found himself being carried against someone’s chest, that someone being Bokuto. His eyes fluttered open as he saw Kuroo carrying Kei into their bedroom. His eyes shut once again as he was getting laid on the bed, the feeling of a kiss being planted on his forehead. “I guess they can come in without making a sound,” he thought as he pulled Kei onto his chest once again, falling back into his sleep. When he woke up the next time, the sun had set and there was a smell coming from the kitchen. Kei had moved a little bit, but now his arms were wrapped around Keiji’s waist, for what seemed like dear life. Keiji looked down at the youngest and saw his eyes were open and he was just staring. “Hello beautiful,” Keiji mumbled, catching Kei’s attention. “When did we get to the bed?” Kei asked, his voice filled with confusion as he turned his head to look at Akaashi. His eyes were glassed over and he looked so little in Keiji’s eyes. He looked like he was one to constantly be protected by him, to make sure he never even got a scratch on him, or else he could be severely hurt. “I think Bokuto and Kuroo carried us in here when they got home.” Kei nodded slowly as he turned to look away once again, staring at the wall.

“How’s your head now?” Keiji asked, a little bit afraid of what his answer would be. It took a minute for Kei to respond, as it seemed as if the question was slowly entering his head, busting through all the pain that filled his head.

“It’s better now, I think.”

Keiji only nodded. “Would you like to go see the others? Maybe eat something? I know you haven’t eaten anything since this morning.” Kei nodded as he rolled off of Akaashi, slowly sitting up. His body wobbled as he placed one of his hands on his head. “Want me to carry you?” Keiji asked. You could see a slight blush on Kei’s face but he nodded. Walking was not a thought in his head right now. It was not a task he could carry out.

Akaashi slowly lifted Kei up and into his arms, making sure that he made gentle and slow movements all the way into the kitchen. The lights were dimmed and you could see the reckless two trying their best to be quiet. “Hello everyone,” Akaashi said as he set Kei to sit on the counter. Kei looked around the room, slowly, and saw the smiling, soft faces of Bokuto and Kuroo. He let out a small smile as he closed his eyes once again, this time staying sitting upright. He had a hold of Akaashi’s hand, grasping it securely, letting out a little “please don’t leave my side right now.” Akaashi smiled as he stood between Kei’s legs, letting the younger rest against his shoulder.

_The others saw this action and smiled. He was their baby._

Kuroo stepped away from the stove, cooking whatever you could think of, and stepped behind Akaashi, facing Kei. “How are you feeling baby?” He whispered as he placed a light kiss on his forehead. Once again, Kei was staring off into space, but the question reached him. “I’m better now, my head still hurts though.” Tetsuro nodded as Bokuto headed towards where Kuroo was, also kissing Kei. “I would like to give you a hug, but you seem too caught up in Akaashi’s hugs right now.” The three laughed as Kei only smiled at that comment. He was trying to lighten the mood, and it worked a little bit.

_Sure, Bokuto’s hugs were nice and warm and big, but Akaashi’s just had a different touch. They were gentle and warming, kind of like his mothers. They were the type of hugs that you never wanted to leave, it was the touch that he thought he had longed for forever. Akaashi had a different touch when dealing with Kei, but he had no complaints. He loved it._

Akaashi eventually had to get Kei down off the counter and set him on the couch, wrapped in a blanket that was supposed to imitate an Akaashi hug. It didn’t work very well, as the younger had a pout on his face, that Akaashi was hoping wouldn’t end up in him crying again.

_Every time Akaashi would get ready to move or pull away, Kei would whine and only grasp on tighter, Akaashi felt so bad having to let go, but he needed to go fix a small plate for the both of them. He only had one solution._

After eating small bites from his plate, barely just enough to make a meal, the boys (mostly Kei) decided that it was time to go crawl into bed. Akaashi carried Kei all the way there and made sure he was the closest one to him.

Once settled into their positions, Kei let out a sigh of relief. His headache was lessening up, hopefully, to be gone in the morning, and he was surrounded by all of his wonderful boyfriends.

His face was buried into Keiji’s chest as Kuroo was behind him, running his fingers through the back of his hair. Bokuto was behind Kuroo, making sure to have at least one hand on Kei at all times, mostly rubbing and massaging his legs.

“Thank you,” Kei mumbled as his eyes fluttered shut once again. He’s exhausted, even after all that sleep he had today. The boys knew this and smiled. Sure, they couldn’t do much for their youngest, especially in the situation he was in, but they are always going to be there for him.

_He didn’t have to hold everything together at one time._

_He had his lovers by his side to help with that._

_**They** are the glue that holds everyone together._

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this fic that I wrote. 
> 
> Sickfics have always been things that I have always enjoyed writing, especially when it's Tsukishima. this one was different, but I could see it fitting him. I made him seem extra soft in this, just because, that's how I could see him in a relationship
> 
> Also, I used slightly a lot and I'm sorry aha


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